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That time Obama's dog beat up a 2-year-old at a Christmas party

By Jillian Sederholm, Digital First Media

Posted:
12/04/2013 04:06:40 PM MST

Updated:
12/04/2013 04:20:16 PM MST

That time Obama's dog beat up a 2-year-old at a Christmas party

First lady Michelle Obama invited military families to Washington on Wednesday for a preview of the White House's holiday decorations. As part of the festivities, military children were invited to decorate cookie ornaments, including ones that resembled the first dogs, Bo and Sunny.(Charles Dharapak/AP)But the real life Sunny proved to be a bit less sweet for one child. When the first lady brought the leashed puppy into the State Dining Room to meet the kids, 2-year-old Ashtyn Gardner of Mobile, ...

Missy Franklin, Jenny Simpson, Adeline Gray and three other Colorado women could be big players at the 2016 Rio OlympicsWhen people ask Missy Franklin for her thoughts about the Summer Olympics that will begin a year from Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro, she hangs a warning label on her answer.

About this series

"Stepping Toward Hope" chronicles in four parts the efforts of remarkable patients suffering spinal-cord injuries to take advantage of new science and locomotor therapy that may allow them to walk again. Intense struggles, aching despair and remarkable effort are all part of their grueling stories explored by health reporter Michael Booth and photographers Craig Walker, AAron Ontiveroz and R.J. Sangosti.

Here's a look at each day's story:

Day 1: James Nall fell down his Arvada stairs and into a world of setbacks and victories far different from his former type-A life as a restaurant manager.

Day 2: Locomotor treatment is helping people with spinal-cord injuries improve their mobility and lifestyles. Amanda Boxtel, directs her own therapy using an exoskeleton for mobility.

Day 3: Mackenzie Gorden strove mightily at Craig Hospital to regain some of her former life as a cheerleader and dancer, but faced new challenges back home in rural Iowa.

Day 4: The future is pouring in now for paralysis patients as robots, computer interfaces and smart controls change lives. But the hard daily work of people like Kyle Pearson and Jo Donlin involves quieter aspirations.